The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-04-20
AT THE CAPITAL.

Oh hepfesentdtlNe ONlhtts Oil 10 lrOvlue
for the penalty Of death in certain cases of
murder. which Jailed to pass that body on
the oath of March, by vote of yeas, 80;
nays. 40. Since that vote the House so
amended the bill as TO take ont the provis-
ions in regard To capital punishment in
certain aggravated case Of assault, and when
the test vote came, on the Sth, with eight
absentees, at least three of whom (Messrs.
Chamberlain. Reader, and Wood voted
for the bill before, it passed by
vote of 81 yeas TO 81 nays.
1t is known positively that at least l6 of
the 81 Senators will vote for the bill, and,
as two years ago, its discussion in that
body will be long and earnest, and that it
will pass and become law is not ut all
improbable. Following is the full text OF
the bill:
SECTION /. The pc ople of the State of
Michigan enact, That every person who
shall hereafter be convicted of the crime of
murder in the first degree shall suffer death.
If the jury before whom such person shall
be tried SO recommend in their verdict; but
II the jury do not SO recommend, such con-
Wet shall be punished by Imprisonment in
the State Prison for life; Prorided, That
should any person plead guilty of the crime
of murder in the first degree, sentence of
death or of imprisonment for life may be
made, in the discretion of the court.
SEC. 2. Whenever any convict shall be
sentenced to the punishment of death, the
pre- siding Judge of the court Mt which said
conviction shall have taken place shall APP
point the day on which such sentence shall
be executed, which shall not be less than
six months and not more than one year
from the date of sentence.
SEC. 3. The presiding Judge of the court
at which said conviction shall take place
shall Immediately thereupon transmit, or
cause to be transmitted, to the Governor of
this State, by mail, a statement of such
conviction and sentence. with copy of the
notes of the testimony taken by such Judge,
or by the official stenographer of the court,
upon the trial. The expense of such state
ment and copy shall be estimated at the
rate allowed by law to county clerks for
making COPIES and exemplifications of rec
ord' and pleadings, and shall be audited
by the Auditor General and paid out of the
Treasury of the State.
SEC. 4. Whenever any person shall be
convicted of murder in the first degree, for
which sentence of death shall be awarded
against him or her, the clerk of the court,
as soon as may be, shall deliver to the sher-
i'll of the county certified transcript of the
conviction and sentence; and the sheriff
shall thereupon cause to be executed on
such convict the Judgment and sentence of
the law.
SEC. 5. If it shall be made to appear to
the Governor that any convict who is under
sentence OF death has become insane,
or from any other cause il appear
TO the Governor to be advisable, the
execution of such sentence may be resp;ted
by the Governor from time to time, so long
as he shall think proper; and if any female
Of tuh 10 Of
shall be quick with child, the Governor
shall direct the execution of such sentence
to be respited, until it shall be made to APP
pear to him that such female convict is no
longer quick with child.
SEC. &. The punishment of death shall
III every case be inflicted by hanging the
convict by the neck until he or she is dead;
and the sentence shall, mt the time directed
by the sentence, or by the warrant of the
Governor when the execution thereof has
been respited by the Governor, be executed
within the walls of the Jail of the county in
which the conviction was had, or within the
inclosed yard OF such Jail.
SEC. Z. The Sheriff OF such county shall
be present mt the execution, unless he shall
be prevented by sickness or other casualty,
and also two of his deputies, to be desig-
mated by him, and he shall request the
presence of the prosecuting attorney,
clerk of the court, and twelve respectable
citizens, including physician or surgeon;
and he shall permit the counsel of the
convict, aud such ministers of the gospel
as the convict shall desire to be present,
and also such officers of the Jail, deputies
and constables, military guard or other as
sistants as he shall see hit.
SEC. s. Whenever a sheriff shall inflct
the punishment of death upon any convict
in obedience to the Judgment and sem
tcnce OF the court or warrant of the Gov
ernor, he shall make return thereof under
his hand, with such warrant, If any. OF his
doings therein, to the clerk of the court il
which the conviction was had, as soon as
may be.
SEC. 8. For his services performed in
executing the sentence of death upon any
conv ct the Sheriff shall receive the sum OF
fifty dollars, and his actual and nece ssary
expenses incident thereto and connected
Herewith, TO be allowed and paid by the
county in which such conviction was had,
in the same manner that other claims are
allowed and paid.
SEC. 10. All acts and parts OF acts con-
travening any of the provisions of this act
are hereby repealed.
POSSIBLE TEMPERANCE LEGISLATION.
Now that it is certain the prohibitory con-
6titutlOnal amendment was ue1eated on the
4th by a few hundred possibly $1,000
votes, those members who wanted it adopt
ed are getting their heads together to study
out what sort of legislation on the temper
ance Tor intemperance) question is best,
most practicable, and most likely to pass
both branches of the present Legislature.
Bills were introduced for straight
prohibitory law, something like what
the defeated amendment proposed, for
more stringent provisions in every
respect, foI local option, for h CHER licenses
and larger bonds, ETC., ETC., in anticipation
of the possible defeat of the amendment.
While it is yet uncertain which bill will be
passed, or just what Its provisions will be,
one thing is certain, and that is that before
The present Legislature adjourns the liquor
laws will be much more binding on the
Hers than they have ever been, and the
III. coo votes cast this week for the total
abolition and prohibition of the traffic, in
dictate Enthusiastically that all laws looking
toward the suppression or control of the
business are to be much more rigidy en-
forced in the future than they have been in
the past.
The Legislature has refused for the pres
ent to order n legislative investigation of
the charges against Superintendent Foster,
of the State Public School, believing that
the board Of trustpes of the institution are